3 Articles Relating to Various Aspects of Depression — These articles cover a broad range and can be tailored for various aspects of topics in teaching.
TITLE
Article #1: There’s a New Treatment for Severe Depression—With Fewer Side Effects
DESCRIPTION
ElectroConvulsive Shock Therapy (ECT) has been around for decades as a last resort for treating long term unremitting clinical depression. While it has shown itself to be a somewhat effective treatment, it has serious side effects that include physical problems, memory problems, other cognitive issues, and serious stigma. Researchers have been testing a new form of ECT called ultra-brief pulse right unilateral, or (RUL) ECT. This technique pulses brief electrical currents reducing the stimulation prefrontal cortex by one-third. It has been found to be effective and has show far fewer negative side effects as compared to standard ECT. Further clinical trials are planned.
SOURCE
Time Magazine, July 21, 2015, by Tanya Basu
LINK TO RESOURCE
http://time.com/3965953/new-depression-therapy/
(shortened URL) http://tinyurl.com/nhkbra5
TITLE
Postpartum Depression Can Arise Months After Screenings
DESCRIPTION
Most of us think of Postpartum depression as occurring within the first month after giving birth. A new study, using a screen test, indicates that the condition may not show up until almost a year after birth. Scientists used a screening tool, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), discovered that some women who were not diagnosed with PPD early, showed signs much later. While other factors in the women’s lives (family, abuse, poverty, socioeconomics) may contribute, it may be wise to advocate for repeated screenings over the year since birth. Appropriate treatments can then be planned.
SOURCE
Time Magazine, June 23, 2015, by Eliana Docterman
Original Source:
Yawn, B.P, and others, Repeated Depression Screening During the First Postpartum Year, 2015 (13, 3), Annals of Family Medicine,228-234.
LINK TO RESOURCE
http://time.com/3932136/postpartum-depression-screenings/
(shortened URL) http://tinyurl.com/pfm7hvs
Link to original: http://tinyurl.com/odka9x5
TITLE
How Depression Warps Your Sense Of Time
DESCRIPTION
Researchers using a meta analysis technique surveyed many studies on depression and found that “the analysis revealed that people with depression reported a slower subjective experience of time — they often felt as though time was slowly dragging by.“ They hypothesize several reasons including the actual slowing down of the body’s internal clock, perception/awareness of the slowing internal clock, and/or paying too much attention to internal negative obsessions of depressed thoughts rather than paying closer attention to the “present moment.” One therapeutic suggestion is mindfulness training wherein the individual learns to reframe and refocus on the present rather than attending to the negative cognitive state that accompanies depression, thusly correcting the time perceptual issues.
SOURCE
Huffington Post, March 18, 2015, by Carolyn Gregoire
Original Source:
Thones, S., Oberfeld, D., (2015, Volume 175), Time perception in depression: A meta-analysis, Journal of Affective Disorders, 359–372.
LINK TO RESOURCE
(shortened URL) http://tinyurl.com/qzmvagm
Original Source: (shortened URL) http://tinyurl.com/pwhab2g
http://www.jad-journal.com/article/S0165-0327(14)00843-X/abstract
CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
•These three articles present aspects of depression that are found in the real world of those suffering the disorder. They represent symptoms, screening, and treatment issues in various situations.
•What is an affective disorder? (keep it simple or focus on DSM 5)
•What are the symptoms of depression? (include the article on time perception in depression)
•What are the causes of depression?
•What are the treatments? (include the article on (RUL) ECT)
•What are the types of depression? (include the article on Postpartum Depression PPD)
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